Psoriasis 101: What, Where and How

Psoriasis is a curious little word. Nearly all of the people I’ve spoken to either mispronounce it or don’t know how to spell it. The P in psoriasis is silent, so the word is pronounced sore-eye-ah-sis. In this way, it joins other curious words like 3d false eyelash, psycho and psychedelic baby, yeah!Crsor

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What Does Psoriasis Mean?

For many people, the practical meaning of psoriasis is that they have to wear long-sleeves and trousers even when the sun is out and everyone else is frolicking around half-naked. Psoriasis is a chronic, usually lifelong, autoimmune 3d false eyelash that affects the skin. As a skin disease that is visible to other people, it can make people become super-aware of their appearance. Even a little elbow poking out under a t-shirt can become uncomfortable.

For the actual meaning of the word, we’ll have to go back to Ancient Greece. Or just look in a dictionary, which says that the word can be derived from the Greek term psora, which means ‘itch’ or ‘rash’. The condition was officially named psoriasis in 1841 by the Viennese dermatologist Ferdinand von Hebra. Even though he could have chosen a simpler name, we still have to thank him for distinguishing it from other skin-diseases as it would still be lumped together with leprosy!

Get your notepads out as we have a key term coming up! It is generally agreed that psoriasis is a hyperproliferative skin disorder. In other words, it is a problem caused by the speed at which skin cells divide on a cellular level. Our skin cells are growing in hyper-speed, in days rather than weeks. The body does not shed the excess skin cells quickly enough, so they pile up one-on-top-of-the-other. Eventually they form crystalline patterns of white scales, plaques and 3d false eyelash.

The skin affected by psoriasis shows a marked thickening of the epidermis, the uppermost layer of skin; this process is called hyperkeratinization. The inflammation is caused by white blood cells called T-cells, which react against the skin where the disease is present. The skin begins to divide, reproduce and grow rapidly. It can grow up to 5 times faster than the rate of normal skin growth! Why does this happen? The most common explanation is that the immune system has become supervigilant and began targeting its own skin.

In a way, it’s like being Wolverine from X-Men. You might not have super healing powers, but you can sure form scabs faster than anyone else out there.

Psoriasis Isn’t A Baseball

As psoriasis isn’t a baseball, you can’t catch it. It is not a contagious disease, so don’t worry about passing it on. Psoriasis is not a fungul infection like athlete’s foot or ringworm. You cannot catch it by accidentally brushing shoulders with someone else or through any skin-to-skin contact for that matter. It is caused by an overactive immune system that mistakenly attacks its own skin, it’s not going to lash out at anyone 3d false eyelash.

How Common Is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis occurs in around 2% to 5% of the population worldwide. Think about that next time you go out to the park or beach. One in 20 people around you will have it somewhere on their body. They might be pretty good at covering it up, but you’re definitely not alone.

In the USA, around 5 to 7 million adults have some psoriasis on their skin, and 200,000 more are diagnosed every year. The rate of incidence also varies by ethnic group, with Caucasians being more likely to develop psoriasis than Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans and Africans.

These are not low numbers. The amount of people who have psoriasis in America is larger than the population of Los Angeles! Many people feel a sense of social stigmatization when they get psoriasis, but this is because everyone else is so good at covering it up!

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Here Comes The Big One – Is There A Cure For Psoriasis?

At this moment in time, there is no universal, permanent cure for psoriasis. However, psoriasis is very 3d false eyelash, so flare-ups and symptoms can be controlled very effectively. There are countless treatment methods available, from age-old herbal concoctions to modern immuno-suppressants